India joins hands with Russia to upgrade Su-30MKI fleet

India has been in talks with Russia to modernize its Su-30MKI fighter fleet. So what new capabilities are being considered?

Recently, Indian Defense Minister Radjanath Singh held talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on further modernization of the country's Su-30MKI fighter fleet. Photo: @ Defense News.

According to the Indian Ministry of Defense , the talks were held “in the context of Operation Sindoor,” a reference to India’s attack on Pakistan in early May that cost the country several fighter jets, including newly acquired Rafale fighters from France. Photo: @Defence News India.

The Rafale and Su-30MKI form the elite of India's fighter fleet, with 36 Rafales purchased from France and more than 270 Su-30s purchased from Russia. Photo: @ Defense News.

The Su-30MKI is considered to be the most capable fighter in India and according to some sources in the world , it was purchased by India in 2002, with features such as phased array radar and three-dimensional thrust vectoring engines, combined with the very long range and the extremely large size of the sensor suite it can accommodate, this makes the Su-30MKI superior to rival aircraft. Photo: @ Meta-Defense.fr.

However, the fighter's position has gradually declined significantly since then, as its sensors, engines and weapons are said to be increasingly outdated, thus failing to provide a major advantage over China's new generation fighters such as the J-16 or J-10C (the J-10C has been exported to Pakistan). Photo: @ Defense News.

With the Su-30MKI fleet expected to serve into the 2040s, India has good reason to invest in modernizing at least a large portion of it. Three areas of the Su-30MKI that could be particularly amenable to improvement, each revolutionizing its performance, are the radar, the engine, and the air-to-air weapons. Photo: @ Defence News India.

The N011M is one of the largest radars integrated into any fighter aircraft in the world at around 650 kg, and replacing it with a modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar could significantly improve the fighter’s situational awareness, targeting capabilities and electronic warfare potential. Photo: @ Defence News India.

While the Indian Ministry of Defense had previously planned to acquire a state-of-the-art, indigenously developed active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, questions regarding the country’s electronics industry’s ability to produce a competitive radar design on schedule have been widely considered. Photo: @Meta-Defense.fr.

So, a Russian AESA radar based on a new design being developed for the Su-57M1 fighter, could be a more advanced and readily available interim solution for part of the Indian Su-30MKI fleet, until an indigenous alternative completes development. Photo: @ Defence News India.

The integration of the new AL-41F1S engine into the Su-35 fighter in Russia's Su-30SM fleet is set to begin in 2022, with Belarus shifting its own orders from buying basic Su-30SM fighters to buying a variant with the new engine, called the Su-30SM2. Photo: @DefenceXP.

The new AL-41F1S engine is a deep modernization of the AL-31F engine that India's older Su-30MKI fleet is using. So, if integrated into the entire Indian Su-30MKI fleet, the AL-41F1S engine will significantly improve the fighter's flight performance and range. The engine will also allow the Su-30MKI to fly supersonic without using its afterburner, a capability known as supercruise, which significantly improves fuel efficiency if the fighter is needed to react quickly to threats at a distance. The maintenance requirements and operating costs of this type of engine are also significantly lower. Photo: @ Meta-Defense.fr.

The biggest shortcoming of the Su-30MKi remains its R-77-1 air-to-air weapon, which is far superior to modern Chinese and American missiles such as the PL-15, PL-16, AIM-120D and AIM-260. India’s possible alternatives include the R-77M missile, which was developed for the Su-57, which largely closes the performance gap with a range of around 200 km, double that of the basic R-77, as well as guidance by an active phased array antenna. Photo: @ Defence News India.

The R-37M long-range air-to-air missile will extend the Su-30MKI's air-to-air engagement range to around 350 km, with the missile able to reach its target much faster, while carrying a much larger warhead. Photo: @ Defence News India.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/an-do-bat-tay-voi-nga-nang-cap-phi-doi-su-30mki-post1552132.html